DOB: 11/04/1976

Case Number: 2020 101462 CFDL

Volusia County Defendant Convicted in Murder over Insurance Money

DAYTONA BEACH – After a three-day trial, a Volusia County jury found defendant Perry Stanley guilty as charged of First-Degree Murder and Possession of Firearm by Convicted In-State Felon. Immediately following the verdict, he was sentenced to mandatory life in prison for the crimes.

On January 31, 2019, the victim was shot four times in the back in an open field on West Euclid Avenue in DeLand. He died from his injuries at the scene.

During the 17-month investigation, the DeLand Police Department determined that Stanley and Myesha Williams planned the shooting death of her stepfather for insurance money.

Sixteen days before the murder, Stanley and Williams increased her stepfather’s accidental death insurance policy from $25,000 to $750,000, knowing that a murder would result in a $150,000 payout. Stanley impersonated the victim over the phone to confirm the change with the agent.

Williams then called the insurance company back four days after the murder to report his death.

Cell phone evidence was essential in connecting Stanley to Williams and solving this case. Detectives recovered a cell phone at the scene, which they later learned was being used by the defendant. Call logs show he called Williams seven minutes before the deadly shooting.

“We do not give up our fight to make justice a reality for the citizens of the 7th Circuit. This case demonstrates our resolve,” State Attorney R.J. Larizza said about the case.

The DeLand Police Department investigated the case with assistance from the Volusia Sheriff’s Office. Assistant State Attorneys Helen Schwartz and Annamarie Danylo successfully tried the case for the state. The Honorable Elizabeth Blackburn presided over the case and pronounced sentence.